Liverpool have completed their second January signing of the window today as Championship outfit Brentford confirmed that the Reds had completed the signing of their B team forward Joe Hardy for an undisclosed fee. 

With the youngster's contract expiring at the end of the current campaign, it is clear that Liverpool felt the need to make their move for the youngster this month in order to beat off competition from other interested parties, with the 21-year-old having been in prolific form for the west London side.

Boasting an impressive goal-scoring record of 40 goals in 80 B team games, Hardy is clearly one of the brightest EFL prospects around and will surely be keen to continue his development with the reigning European Champions.

QUIZ: Can you identify the ex-Brentford player based on their goalscoring record? See if you can get full marks down below!

Liverpool boast a strong recent record for developing young players under the stewardship of Jurgen Klopp and for that reason as well as several others, this move could well pay off for the young forward in years to come.

The Verdict 

This is definitely a move that has been made with the future in mind for Liverpool, with the Premier League leaders always seeking to bring in young prospects with a view to eventually blooding them into the first-team fold.

Hardy will provide some much-needed firepower for the club's under 23 side as he seeks to make an impression on Jurgen Klopp ahead of a push for a chance in the first team, however it would be equally unsurprising if he departed on loan this month in order to gain much needed first-team experience.

In the meantime, Hardy will simply be looking to continue his scoring form into the new year for his new side in what is sure to be the most crucial stage of the youngster's career to date.